There’s always a first time for everything. In this instance for me it was watching what was self-described as a stoner comedy film . Thanks to Wiki I discovered that this is technically a subgenre of comedy film based on marijuana themes, where recreational use often drives the plot, sometimes representing cannabis culture more broadly or intended for that audience. As I live in Provincetown in the summer its surprising this is my first encounter as since marijuana was legalized in the State, the town now has more ‘cannabis’ dispensaries than food stores!
BAM (short for Broke Ass Motherf–ker) is the debut film for queer filmmaker Jordan Tragash and he made his home town of Chicago one of the main ‘stars’ of the movie. The very loose plot follows the interconnected lives of Chicago gig economy workers. Their main connection is that they get their weed from the same local drug dealer (ahem. ‘freelance pharmacist) who is the king pin of their smallish worlds
There is Auggie (Tuxford Turner) a timid nonbinary bike messenger who delivers sex toys. He’s new to town and is living in a storage locker.
Two sisters make home deliveries for their mother art dealer mother, and there are two roommates who are supposed to watch the dealers empire while he goes out of town to make a mixtape. He takes off for his mini vacation with nothing more than a deckchair.
Whilst he is away. (seemingly just in another part of town) his two stands-in cannot resist spending all the proceeds of the drug deliveries that have been commissioned to make on outrageous new clothes
Director Tragash’s statement helped me both understand and really appreciate his fresh and really funny film more. “Through comedy and community BAM! envisions the world not as it is, but as it should be. The world of BAM! is a world of friendship, one where people help each other and resolve conflicts without violence. It is a world where forgiveness is the common language and nuanced relationships can span gender, race, class, and sexual boundaries.”
Like Chicago was for me, BAM! is a miracle. Created over the course of a summer, I can proudly say the passion of the piece shines in every frame. Refreshingly diverse in its depiction of people on the fringes of society, it is a hilarious coming of age story full of lively characters brought to life with incredible precision. The film explores a soaring depiction of Chicago that will warm the heart of any Midwesterner and strengthens its gorgeous visuals with a striking, completely original score that features everything from punk, to rap, to introspective pop.
At the heart of BAM! is its characters, stumbling their way through being young and broke in a bustling city. Despite the adversity they encounter, and the mistakes they make, they come to realize that any challenge can be faced head on, as long as you have good people at your side to help you through it. That is why BAM! is a world I want to live in, and one I know audiences will want to live in too.
BAM is having its World Premiere at Wicked Queer Bostons LGBTQ+ Film Festival and when I go to see it again there, i think I’ll have a smoke first
ROGER WALKER-DACK Creator, Editor-in-Chief Miami Beach, FL / Provincetown, MA
IG @QUEERGURU Member
of G.A.L.E.C.A. (Gay & Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association) and
NLGJA The Association of LGBT Journalists. and The Online Film Critics Society. Ex Contributung Editor
The Gay Uk & Contributor Edge Media Former CEO and Menswear Designer of Roger Dack Ltd in the UK
